flat sheets of paper (with the rolled-out dough between them) into the freezer for 10 minutes. Once the rolled-out dough is well chilled, it will firm up and separate more easily from the paper. The thinner you roll your gingersnap cookies, the crispier they’ll bake. Tucker suggests ⅛ inch, but you may prefer ¼ inch or thicker for a softer cookie. Experiment with what appeals to you.
Step 5—Cut cookies: Use your favorite shaped cookie cutter or a small biscuit cutter, or even the round rim of a juice glass. When you lift the snaps onto the baking sheet, be careful since they’re thin and soft. (Try slipping a metal spatula or pie server under the cutout cookie dough. Or bake the cookies right on the parchment paper where you rolled it.)
Step 6—Bake and glaze: Your baking sheet should be greased, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, or lined with parchment or silicon sheets to prevent sticking. Bake for 8- 10 minutes. Cool on a rack and brush with Whiskey-Lemon Glaze (recipe follows).
NOTE ON CAKE FLOUR: I strongly recommend using cake flour for this recipe for the best results. Cake flour is milled finer and lighter than regular, all-purpose flour and will give you a more tender cookie. If you’ve never bought cake flour before, look for it in boxes (not sacks) in the grocery store aisle where all-purpose flour is sold. If I still haven’t convinced you to use cake flour, and you want to use all-purpose flour for this recipe, then make sure to reduce the amount of flour by ¼ cup. In other words replace 2½ cups cake flour with 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour.
WHISKEY-LEMON GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon whiskey
Too easy. Just place the sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and whiskey until smooth. Brush onto your freshly baked gingersnap cookies—but allow cookies to cool before glazing!
Tucker’s Supremely Easy Candy Cane Brownies
1 package of your favorite brownie mix
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. Fold the pecans and chocolate chips into the batter. Bake according to the package directions. Cool, frost with Candy Cane Frosting (recipe follows), and cut.
CANDY CANE FROSTING
Makes 1¾ cups frosting—enough to frost a 9 × 13-inch pan of brownies (also fun to use on birthday cakes and cupcakes)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1-2 tablespoons milk
1½ cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract or 1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps
¼ cup candy canes, finely crushed (see note)
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Stop the mixer! Add the milk, sugar, and peppermint extract. Fire up that mixer again—at a low speed—and blend until the sugar is fully dissolved (about 1 minute). Add the crushed candy canes and beat at a higher speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 1 minute more). If the frosting is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk. Frost your brownies, cut, and enjoy!
NOTE: To make finely crushed candy canes, simply place your store-bought candy canes in a plastic storage bag and bang the heck out of them with the back of a ladle or meat hammer. An instant holiday stress reliever, too.
Mike Quinn’s Chocolate Cherry Cordials
See photos of this recipe at www.CoffeehouseMystery.com
Yes, this is the recipe Mike made for Clare. Mike’s mom gave him the recipe for this candy with helpful, handwritten notes. She made it almost every year at Christmas for family and friends.
30 maraschino cherries with stems (one 10-ounce jar has
about 30 cherries)
¼ cup amaretto or other liqueur (optional)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1cups powdered sugar
3 cups chocolate chips (see note)
NOTE: If you would like to use blocks of chocolate instead of chips, you’ll need 18 ounces, chopped into small, uniform pieces to ensure even melting. You can use milk, dark, or white chocolate for this recipe, depending on your preference. Or divide the total amount of chocolate into thirds and make a variety of chocolate cherry cordials: 1 cup of melted chocolate chips will cover 10-12 cherries.
Helpful hint on chocolate conversion:
6 ounces of block chocolate = 1 cup chips
Recipe notes from Mike’s mom: There are four simple steps to making this candy. Step 1 is getting the liqueur flavor into your cherries, which you need to do the day before you make this candy. If you don’t want your cherries to have any alcohol infused in them, you can skip the first step. Step 2 is creating the sugar coating around the cherry.